The young leaves and unarmed stems of Barleria lancifolia are covered with short soft white waxy hairs. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils. Flower colour differs from light to dark mauve to white. The leaves have a bluish colour that is very distinctive.

Barleria lancifolia is a very attractive plant, either in a mixed grassland or as a specimen plant on a rockery. It is a very hardy little shrub that flowers late in the season. Plant in a well-drained soil.